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Reviews of the EP:
Screaming
Bloody Mess
From the bass driven lead opener ‘The Smartest Tree in the Forest’
these guys won me over pretty quickly. The staccato vocal delivery, the
repetitive bass, the guitar solo towards the end and the refrain of ‘how
does he know he’s right’ and ‘Albert Einstein’
meant that I knew I wasn’t in for typical indie rock dross. Like
Mission of Burma or even the Mark of Cain, the three piece aren’t
afraid to sit on a groove or a bass line and ride it out to see how far
it will take them. While they get a little lost along the way on the instrumentals,
this five song EP shows enough promise. These guys know what they want
and how to get it, a confident debut.
—Tim Scott, 6/18/2004
Splendid
Magazine
If I ran my own business and one of the guys from Motico came in for a
job interview, I'd hire him in a heartbeat. That may not sound like much
of a complement at first—after all, employability isn't exactly
the most rock 'n' roll character trait in the bunch—but trust me
when I say that this is a good thing. Like any bunch of quality workmen,
Motico are precise, keep a tidy workspace, possess a distinct inner drive
and have tons of endurance.
On this indie EP, they slog through six meticulously winding tunes,
and never once do they let their collective eye for detail get in the
way of a good rock-out. Minimalist post-punk icons Steve Albini and Ian
Curtis would likely approve of Motico's grinding, repetitive riffs and
their quirky, neck-snapping cadences. On the disc's most fully actualized
song, "The Smartest Tree in the Forest", the threesome finds
a perfect middle ground between Big Black and Slint, with bassist Zach
[sic] Hagan pounding out snaky, frenetic riffs and guitarist Chris
Galzier [sic] exercising commendable restraint, only swooping
in during particularly intense moments. Here, every note means something,
and every subtle shift in dynamics feels like a complete upheaval. "Zooming
Past Accuracy" also merits repeat listens, though for entirely different
reasons—it's a lot less math rock and a lot more Mission of Burma,
as fiery vocals soar over a bristling punk backdrop.
The other four songs are solid, but they also serve as reminders that
Motico have room for growth. The two instrumentals trudge on too long,
and the other two vocal tracks sound less confident and more haphazard.
As DIY debuts go, though, Motico is a solid listen, and I have a feeling
that once these guys spend a little more time on the job, they'll begin
to sound like they've been doing it for years.
—Phillip Buchan, 6/02/04
Left
Off the Dial
Leave it to Motico, a trio from Brooklyn, NY, to stick to the basics and
still manage to sound fresh and innovative. With inspiration from such
bands as Slint, The Feelies, and Mission of Burma, Motico set out to find
their own sound; and it is refreshing to see that they just want to play
music. Their self-titled EP contains cleverly titled tracks such as, “The
Smartest Tree in the Forest,” “Thirsty McShifty,” “Gabbage
Monster,” “Short Term Effects,” “Zooming Past
Accuracy,” and “Home of the Buzzard.” Yet lyrically,
there is still a lot of potential for growth and improvement.
The opening track, “The Smartest Tree in the Forest,” starts
off with simple beats and monotone vocals that are reminiscent of They
Might Be Giants. Yet parts of the melody seem somewhat scattered –
with guitar riffs randomly added – and then proceed to pick up again
at the chorus. “Short Term Effects” was a personal favorite
since it was the most fluid and had a “move your feet” quality.
The constant slow, fast, slow, fast, accentuated guitar parts were fun
to tap along to, and remain strong throughout the song. It is obvious
though, that throughout the album the main focus is on the fusion of instruments
rather than their message, as in “Home of the Buzzard,” which
is almost like a seven-minute instrumental breakdown for a movie.
This EP is a great start and has nowhere to go but up. With a bit more
tweaking of the lyrics, it would all be pie.
—Debbie Kang, 5/24/04
As with Sport Illustrated's swimsuit issue, the discreetly packaged Motico
EP was surreptitiously slipped into my mailbox at Cherry Blossom Lane
last week. As highly anticipated, though, perhaps not quite as sexy, the
ineffable ep quickly entered the rotation in my cd changer, to be field
tested over the next several days. After 600+ miles, I find I responded
especially to the longer instrumental tracks, in particular, "Gabbage
Monster." Not to discount anything with lyrics, but these often intense
instrumentals had the energy to keep my weary eyes focused on the pavement
swiftly passing below me. By the way, I do like the cover art. The design
is the complete opposite of what I had in mind, which mostly involved
"industrial weeds," the organic material that survives despite
its harsh, unforgiving home.
—Barbus
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